Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans

Beginning Monday, all North Korean nationals will need a visa to enter Malaysia, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today.

The visa ruling for North Koreans, to be implemented by the Immigration Department, is aimed at safeguarding national security.

Ahmad Zahid who is also Home Minister also advised North Korea and other countries in general to respect the sovereignty of Malaysia and appreciate the cooperation given all this while.

"This is a high-profile cases. And Malaysia once again gets the world's attention.

"But when we see foreign diplomats, especially from North Korea, who had no respect at all for Malaysia, and created chaos in this country, I wish to remind them, they can not simply do what they like," he said.

On the remand status of North Korean suspects, Ri Jong Chol, 47, due to end tomorrow (March 3), Ahmad Zahid said the ministry was still awaiting advice from the government's legal adviser.

The suspect is expected to be detained under the Immigration Act for exceeding the period of his visit to Malaysia.

He added that the matter would be announced later today (Thursday).

Meanwhile, Zahid also confirmed today that a North Korean senior official who arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday has met Wisma Putra representatives on Wednesday.

However, the outcome of the meeting is yet to be known.

The senior official, Ri Tong Il, is a former North Korean ambassador to the United Nations.

Pada 13 Februari seorang warganegara Korea Utara telah dibunuh menggunakan racun ajen saraf VX oleh dua wanita, masing-masing warga Vietnam dan Indonesia, di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur Dua (KLIA2).

On February 13, a North Korean national was killed, using the VX nerve agent, allegedly carried out by two women - a Vietnam and Indonesian - at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Sepang.

The victim, identified as Kim Jong Nam, is the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The North Korean embassy has previously accused the Malaysian government of not giving the required cooperation in its efforts to claim the body and assist in the investigation.

However, the Malaysian government has insisted that the process to claim the body could only be done by family members and it is important for the investigation.

To date, none of Jon Nam's family members have came forward to help.